Sat - History tour w a group of 17 people (Lungshan Temple, Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall, presidential office (view from outside only), National theatre hall). Rain. Afternoon - walk back to hotel, shop for rubber boots (shoes were soaked). Food tour in the eve (see food section for details).
Sun - Teahouse authentic experience. YongKang St area shopping and cafe. Addiction Aquatic Development (ie. Taipei fish market) - Japanese inspired market, upscale.
Mon - mailed postcard. Visited Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall again for better look and photos. Saw changing of the guards. Took the MRT (single ride tokens!). Saw the Shandao Temple. Searched for an English Taiwanese cookbook (2 locations). Blues dancing hangout at Salud! Salsa. Met Akiko, Julie and Lam at blues dancing night.
Tues - Chilling with website admin in the morning. Taipei 101 observatory - Taipei 101, 89th floor for bird's eye view of the city. Super Big Wind Damper. R&D speakeasy bar. Very cool.
Wed - A beautiful sunny day finally! Photography run covering 101 Taipei building, Tao Zhu Yin Yuan Tower - twist tower, The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Visited Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall again(!!) for better look and photos now that the sun was out.
FOOD ADVENTURES
Sat Br - Sticky rice “dumpling” (yum), noodle soup (meh).
Sat Lu - Brown Sugar Mochi with coconut cream and black sesame powder at Teahouse @ Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall. Also had there savoury black rice cakes with savoury beef gravy.
Sat night - Food Tour with Anna from Taipei Eats (tour name : Small Group Night Market Tour including Street Food Tasting) - Started with sweet pork sausage (yum!), rice cake in pork intestine (ok, basically sticky rice in sliced sausage form), shark gills (oddly yum) and shark meat (not bad). Pork in silken glutinous balls dumplings in soup (very nice). Silken tofu in Chili sauce. Garlic greens. Tomato’s with dipping sauce of ground ginger, thick sweet soy, ?!! (Very nice!!). Pork belly in chilli over rice (yum!). Fresh spring rolls (not fried) - tasty. Mildly stinky tofu with Taiwanese kimchi (white cabbage with I believe sugar + rice wine vinegar). Duck & ginger medicine soup - nice! Hot & Cold mochi (hot mochi tossed in peanut powder and black sesame powder and placed on a bed of shaved ice topped with a little condensed milk.
Sun Br - Wisteria Teahouse. Very traditional Teahouse which takes their tea seriously. Very elaborate preparation process. Multiple teacups and bowls. 15 sec wait. Small teacup. Beautiful full tea leaves. Had 2 types of tea (Dongding Oolong, Wysteria), dried star fruit and the most luxurious & silken mochi plate I’ve ever had. Amazing spot!
Sun Br - Yongkang Beef Noodles. Very tasty. Beef incredibly tender. Soup was good. Someone stole my umbrella though. Recommended.
Sun Snack - Coffee + Cannele @ Yaboo cafe. Nice cosy cafe. Don’t rate the cannele though - it wasn’t that fresh. Coffee was fine.
Sun Di - Addiction Aquatic Development with Justin and Danielle. Sashimi (Salmon - very buttery soft meat), Steamed Super prawns 🦐 with butter sauce, shabu shabu seafood hot pot. Cold sake (awesome cooling container) and hot sake. All 3300 Taiwan dollars (1100pp).
Mon Br - Sticky rice “wrap” with mustard greens, egg, fried dough stick, some pink floss powder and a little hoisin. $35 Taiwan Dollars. Very filling.
Mon Lu - Ikari Coffee + crepe wheel.
Mon Di - Fried Dumplings (soup-filled, crispy-bottomed sheng jian bao(similar to pan-fried xiaolongbao), at the stall at the end of Linjiang Night Market (soooo good)!
Custard-filled Sesame bread bun. It was ok.
Gua Bao pork buns from Master Stone in a shop near by the Linjiang Night Market. Meh this shop. Gua bao (literally: “cut bread”), is a Taiwanese street food consisting of a slice of stewed meat, usually pork belly, and other condiments sandwiched between flat steamed bread. Also known as “Taiwanese hamburgers”, the traditional filling for gua bao is a slice of tender braised pork belly, dressed with pickled mustard greens, fresh cilantro, and ground powdered peanuts in between a fluffy steamed bun.
Tues Br / Lu - Fu Hang Dou Jiang is just a stall in the food court, but you’ll notice that the whole space is packed with people enjoying hot trays of food from the popular breakfast joint. No. 108, 2nd Floor Section 1 Zhongxiao East Road, Zhongzheng District, 100 Taipei. Shaobing, a type of roasted layered flatbread, is a Taiwanese breakfast staple. Fu Hang’s shaobing came piping hot with a slightly sweet, crispy glazed top sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. A bite of this revealed amazingly fluffy layers scattered throughout with spring onions. Sweet Dou Jiang (soy milk) This Taiwanese soybean milk was thicker and more creamy than the kind that you’ll find in Singapore. Saving the best for last: the crispy golden-brown Youtiao. This freshly-fried cruller was incredibly light and crackly, a world away from many doughy, overly-greasy versions. Eaten with a spoonful of sweet dou jiang, this is really the ultimate comfort dish.
Tue Snack - Ginger Coffee (101 Foodcourt, B1 floor) + Croissants with a raspberry glaze and croissant with black sesame powder (and sesame crepe pat).
Tues Di - Taiwanese Hotpot restaurant : Elixir Health Hotpot. Wow, one of the most brilliant food stops of my trip.
Wed Br - Instant noodles in hotel. Fancy kind with actual beef pieces. Wow. Yummy!
Wed Lu - Orange & lemon juice w matcha and pearls @ food court in eslite shopping centre in the business centre of the city.
Wed Di - Gua Bao pork buns. Yum!!
Lan Jia Steamed Sandwich Shop | No. 3, Aly. 8, Ln. 316, Sec. 3, Roosevelt Rd., Daan Dist, Taipei Taiwan
Grilled Mochi - Black Sesame and Taiwanese Black Sugar mochi - 49 Er Mei Street, Ximending, Taipei. Towards the Body Shop outlet. The mochi stall is next to it.
Shilin Night Market underground - No. 101, Jihe Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111.
Shilin Night Market underground : Big bun wrapping small bun - This is made by pounding a crispy disc of fried pastry dough with a mallet, before wrapping the smashed pastry in a popiah-like skin.
Liu Sha Fritter (salty egg custard)
Peanut roll with ice cream (Sandy piles of peanut brittle shavings and coriander sprigs are layered on a dough skin, along with 3 scoops of yam, pineapple and red bean ice-cream. ) @ Alley 1, Lane 40, Linjiang St, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Giant roasted char siew bao on crack.
Ningxia Night Market - Ningxia Road, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103 - Giant Deep Fried Seafood Wontons. Famous Liu Yu Zi stall, which sells a special taro fritter that’s stuffed with salted egg yolk and pork floss. Do take note that there is a minimum order of 2 pieces per customer!
Hang Zhou Xiao Long Tang Bao for Xiao long bao. Address: No. 19, Section 2, Hangzhou S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Opening Hours: Daily: 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.
Yu’s Almond Tofu is a dessert dream come true. No. 101 Hengyang Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Black Sesame Latte @ Wilbeck Coffee, No. 26-7, Xinyang St, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Go to the original din tai fung at the base of the 101 building
SEASON Artisan Patissier is well-known throughout Taipei for being one of the city’s top patisseries. “Plant” dessert. 350 Taiwan dollars.
Pork floss ice cream
FUTURE OTHER ADVENTURES
Main city sights : national palace museum, martyr's shrine
Huashan 1914 Creative Park, 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District. https://goo.gl/maps/5yTJ1Ahq8bk 8-10pm
Impressive wen-Wu temple with sun moon lake views
Holy monk shrine, tehua village and tse en pagoda
Light hike in Yangmingshan National Park (volcanic landscape)
Taroko national park with marble-walled gorges, lush flora and mountainous escapes. One of taipei's most stunning locations. Visit locations such as swallow grotto, eternal Spring shrine, Taroko gorge gateway, Changchun falls.
Mountain road to Puli (paper workshop and Paper Church).
Tainan ancient capital of Taiwan. Historical streets. Old Chihkan Tower. **
Kaohsiung (2nd largest city), Fo Guang Shan Monastery, the biggest Buddha monastery in Taiwan.
Liuho Night market, in kaohsiung, is one of the largest night markets in south east asia. **
Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Dragon and Tiger Pagoda.
